McLeansville Baptist Church

The church plays a vital, yet often overlooked, role in the growth and development of the believer. We have relegated this vital institution as little more than a convenient gathering and social activity. But what does edifying truly look like? How are we, each day, to allow others to play a role in our spiritual development, as well as intentionally enter into the same work in others?

As a church we have had, in recent times, a heavy focus on that middle part of the Great Commission, “teaching them to observe (that is, to do) all things whatsoever I have commanded you” (v.20a) and we have not “scratched the surface” of the need in this. But, mission month is the call to pull back from my emphasis on the training side of discipleship, and remember that there is an evangelistic s...

Let us leave on the table, as a point of fact, that not everyone in the local assembly is called to “Go” somewhere as a missionary. Yet, we can , and must, consider these three things which every one of us are called to… 1. Give in the Spirit 2. Grow in the Faith 3. Glory in the Lord

As you look at much of the missions work and the missionaries going out today, most of them are going to places where the gospel has already gone. Now, we are glad for what has been done and is still being done in all those places, but what about the other places? Current reports have it at anywhere from 1-3.5% of missions giving goes to unreached areas. I believe Paul had a relentless drive to ta...

Be Ready! Jesus says, because you know I am returning, and you know now what will happen, what to expect, you know that you must be ready for that day. But since we do not know when the day will be we must live ready every day in order to be ready for that day. How many of you, like me, would say, “I am not living as ready as I know I should, and to be fair to my heart, I am not living as ready as...

Jesus invites all to come to him, to follow him, and to abide in him. He says Come and be Saved! Follow and be Saved! Abide and be Saved!  We Come to Him to be Received, we Follow Him to be Remade, and we Abide in Him to be Resourced, For, only as we abide in Him do we truly receive everything needed to bear fruit for the glory of God, and everything required to live real life! Why is it then, tha...

Can anyone claim to be righteous? In this message, Missionary John Alvies reminds us that every Christian is righteous because Christ is the foundation of our righteousness. Jesus Christ became sin for us so that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him.

Here we are, one week into the New Year and for most, it is customary to begin the year setting some goals, deciding to live better, to become more of the person we long to truly be. Now, it makes sense to start with prayer because prayer is where all our life in the kingdom of God, in the way of Christ, must begin. There is absolutely nothing else which is more fundamental and necessary to the de...

No matter to what level you may make plans, set goals, or determine some resolutions for the New Year, we likely all have some expectations and hopes as we come into it. James offers us a very powerful approach to planning for the New Year in James 4, but long before we can even start planning, we have some other matters we must deal with!

In the movie,  It’s a Wonderful Life,  George Bailey thinks everyone in his life would have been better off had he never been born, but he gets the chance to see what the world would have been like without him. George affects innumerable lives, like a ripple through a pond, but think of the unfathomable hole in the world had there never been the birth of Jesus.  It's quite a weighty thing to c...

In this message, Missionary Charlie Russell describes how God uses spiritual winter seasons in our lives to grow as believers. These seasons come to remove what is not beneficial and prepare us for even greater growth.

We Have an Enemy! The devil, Satan, is a Destroyer, a Devourer, and a Deceiver! He will split us, he will stalk us, and he will slaughter us, one by one, or in a great big swoop, if we let him. Yes, IF WE LET HIM! Ephesians 4:27, Neither give place to the devil. We have power and authority in Jesus name, to oust the destruction, to overcome the devouring, and to obliterate the deception. But there...

Any renovation project includes two phases. Phase One is where the old and useless or hazardous parts get identified, ripped out, torn down, and taken away. Next, and only after all that, comes Phase Two, where the new, better, stronger, and beautiful is brought in and put together, so that the end result is the very essence of the word Renovate…“to restore to a former better state.” So, here we a...

Prayer can sometimes feel like nothing more than a religious exercise. Yet the pages of Scripture remind us time and again that prayer is a powerful weapon in the arsenal of the child of God. The key is understanding both the purpose of intercessory prayer, as well as its practice. 

That phrase may resonate with you in different ways, particularly for sports fans, as "making the turn" is often used to express a point in the event where a significant moment arrives that action must be taken and by that, success or failure will be determined. The church is at that point. The turn is being made by so many, but there is a right turn and a wrong turn. Which will we make?

That phrase may resonate with you in different ways, particularly for sports fans, as "making the turn" is often used to express a point in the event where a significant moment arrives that action must be taken and by that, success or failure will be determined. The church is at that point. The turn is being made by so many, but there is a right turn and a wrong turn. Which will we make?

Enthusiasm! Now this is a word that has changed meaning over time. In our day, when we hear about someone’s enthusiasm, or being enthusiastic, we think of excitement, celebration, just spun up about something, mostly in a good sense. It comes from a Greek word meaning, to be “inspired or possessed by a god.”  A way we might understand it is, to be in God and God in me in whatever I am doing. Or as...

This week's sermon is from McLeansville Baptist Church's 80th Homecoming. Dr. Alton Beal answers the question, "Who is God?" from Isaiah 33:22. This text provides four responses about who God is: He is our Judge He is our Lawgiver He is our King He is our Savior

Our example for every facet of our lives is Jesus. He offers us life, not only eternal, but also abundant in this life. The key to tapping into that abundant life is to be filled with God's love. How did Jesus display that love, and what should we be motivated to do as we follow His example?

Worship is Primary! The purpose of our existence is to worship God! Our life will never be satisfying until we are living fully for His Glory!  Creation knows it! The heavens, the oceans, the forests, the mountains, the rivers, all of it is addressed in these psalms (Psalm 95-100) as being worshippers of God! You may ask how does a tree or a river worship God? It is just this simple, they respond...

Everyone needs a brotherhood, or a sisterhood, and I am speaking specifically of the brotherhood found in the household of faith. We need men, or women, to stand beside us, and for whom we can stand with. There is absolutely no one who can live for God as they should, apart from a brotherhood, or sisterhood, as it is depicted in the scriptures.

Hypocrisy is pretending to be something one is not, or pretending to believe something one does not actually believe.  A hypocrite performs publicly for the recognition (an actor, a role player), but in secret their lives are quite different from what their public persona displays.  “What do they think of me, what will they say about me?” has done more harm than can be estimated in the church, but...

A "house divided" is a fitting description of what we feel in our struggle with the sin that persistently plagues us; the besetting sin as we know it. It is good that we know what it is, because when we know it then we can seek the power to change. But what is the power to real change? We have all experienced the loop of trying harder only to fail again, rinse, repeat.  Jesus is giving u...

How can we move away from living the Self-Life, dominated by besetting sin and discouraged heart, into living the Sanctuary Life, dominated by love of God and seeing the daily renewal of our soul? One is a very safe place, the other is an extremely dangerous place.

When we think of rejoicing, what comes to mind? Births, weddings, parties, and wins! We may be excited, we may celebrate, and we may have fun, and yet, all of that could happen in the context of worldliness and of the flesh, but that would not be rejoicing. In the realm of spiritual truth, rejoicing is always focused on God. I may be excited for a vacation, I may have fun at a birthday party, I ma...